Quote Originally Posted by Khal_Drogo View Post
"There's no way around it?" Are you, really, SO arrogant that you think you've considered EVERY possible scenario; and that the current materia system is the only way to ensure that crafting doesn't get "pushed aside?" That's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen on these threads...A great compromise would be to make dungeon/primal drops WAY harder to get, so that nearly everyone in the game is forced to "settle" for crafted gear....just as they've done in countless other RPG titles. In almost every RPG imaginable, there's always some ridiculously difficult boss fight that gives players the best gear in the game.

You're asking for that aspect of RPGs to be thrown completely out the window, and have it reward players w/ something as insignificant and superficial as stupid a@@ bragging rights. Honestly, who gives a s@#% what you've done on some dumb game, if it doesn't ease gameplay for you....Bragging rights....really?
IMO I dont think having one best in slot gear is viable in an MMO, though i do agree beating something epic and getting something epic, or at least having the potential to be epic is a good concept. But you cant let battlers get it without involving the classes whose whole purpose it is to create items, or provide the materials for the items.

I wont say no solution exists, but cant just make materia meldable in the same way that regular gear is. it has to involve at the very least a similar loss of items/materials IE you lose the equivalent(or more since you cant destroy the weapon) when you fail.

Also it shouldnt be the best in game, merely a headstart with a cool skin, that can be comparable to the craziest things a crafter /gather class can create. (i dont really like seeing just one item on every top tier person and one option for playstyle, i think ffxiii got this right, multiple top teir items, with the highest ones starting closer to completion, and everyone having different stats/uses)

oh yeah side edit, not all rares should be created equal, and not all rares should get the same amount of materia addable, if they do go that route.